Monday, October 17, 2016

Leadership Symposium Testimonial - #MASFAAMEUP

#MASFAAMEUP

When the ISFAA Executive Board asked me if I would like to
participate in the MASFAA Leadership Symposium I really had no idea what to
expect. I thought I would just be going
to an event that would be a great place to network with other leaders in the
financial aid world. What I took away
from the Leadership Symposium was much more!

I went in to this thinking, “What can I learn, I have been in
a leadership role in financial aid for nearly seven years?” I learned that you
can never stop learning to be a good leader.
From the very first project I began understanding this was going to be
more useful than I gave it credit. On Tuesday morning when we worked on
“Building the Leadership Foundation” I learned that almost everyone in the room
had the same worries, hopes, fears, and desire to accomplish their dreams. Learning how to incorporate social media into
networking, and continuously educating myself in the financial aid world was something new for me.

I gained valuable resources from this experience. The connections I have made through this
symposium have already helped me answer questions back at the office. Questions like how are other offices gearing
up for prior/prior, and how are other colleges/universities preparing for new
overtime rules that go into effect December 1, 2016.

What I gained most though was invaluable
insight. I learned just as much if not
more from my experience from those individuals who were aspiring to be leaders
in the financial aid field. I was able
to take away what those who I lead may be thinking but afraid to share. I took away what those aspiring leaders had
to say and asked my employees their thoughts on the issues. I would recommend anyone whether they have
been in financial aid for a year or a decade, if they aspire to be leader or
have been a leader for years to attend these types of symposiums because the
take away is priceless. This post was submitted by Ron Herrell, Director of Financial Aid, Ivy Tech Community College North Central/Northwest